The Whitelist: Evergreen Content FTW

Why does evergreen content rule? Because we are linking to articles that aren’t new but still delivery massive value.

As content creators, it’s our goal to create evergreen resources that our readers can learn from for years to come. These articles are all evergreen whether they were published this week or last year. Take note of their content but also their strategy. They must be good if we are linking to them months after publication.

This post isn’t brand new but it’s definitely evergreen. HelpScout’s Gregory Ciotti talks about how they built a massive email list and exploded their traffic by pairing email and search engine optimization. It’s a great read from one of the best marketers out there.

The Help Scout blog has had a rockin’ first year, and in a paltry 12 months we’ve managed to build up a newsletter of 30,000 subscribers, when tens of thousands of visitors per month (over 100,000 last month).

I’d like to simply distill some of the more important things I’ve learned over these past 12 months and go over the fundamentals of how we made it happen.

This is a bunch of stuff.

Lets insert a H3 tag

If you want we can then do a series of bullets as well:

Here’s one bullet!

And another, this one is a little longer so we’ll just type out a line or two really quickly. How fast can you type? I can type out 130 words per minute nearly, which is pretty insane!

Popup ads are often reviled by readers but the simple truth is that they are very effective. We’ve discussed content cannibalization on this blog before but in this post on the ConversionXL blog, Ott Niggulis explores the line between converting and annoying readers.

Whether you personally love it or hate it, the truth is, sticking a big ole pop-up in their face can be one of the most effective ways to jolt their attention & grab their email for a return visit.

Why?

It’s related to a persuasion technique known as the âpattern interrupt,â which is basically when something unexpected happens after the brain has become lulled into a rhythm. You’ll experience this frequently in negotiations, while watching movies & when watching comedians.

In the context of email & content marketing though, it’s particularly effective when the âinterruptionâ proposes to solve the problem that the the reader has been tuned into, or programmed to expect given the nature of the service.

Is your time better spent writing for your own blog or someone else’s? Rand Fishkin calls guest blogging a slippery slope, since you are giving away authority that could be your own. Groove’s Alex Turnbull, however, suggests otherwise.

Advice from founders is invaluable, especially when it’s really off the beaten path. Beth Belle Cooper asked 10 entrepreneurs for their most counterintuitive advice and uncovered some fascinating insights. Here’s an example:

âThese days, however, I live without goals, for the most part. It’s absolutely liberating, and contrary to what you might have been taught, it absolutely doesn’t mean you stop achieving things.